Principals Today #109

Issue 109 Term 1 | 2016

LEADERS IN EDUCATION NEWS SINCE 1989

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The road to nowhere

The case for a simpler solution to appeal expulsions

THE NEED FOR SPECIALIST CARE

Preventing special needs students from being left behind

ARE NEW ZEALAND’S GIFTED CHILDREN SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS?

STAYING CONNECTED IN A CRISIS

Q&A Epsom Girls Grammar School principal Lorraine Pound shares her thoughts

KIWI TEACHERS FIND INTERNATIONAL FAVOUR

HEKIA PARATA ON MAKING IT EASIER TO SHARE RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE ISSN 1170-4071 HAVE THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE SEEN THIS?

WHAT EDUTECH 2016 HAS IN STORE Principal Administration Dept Board of Trustees Property Manager Outdoor Ed Dept Teachers

Issue 109 / Term 1, 2016

Contents IDEAS Principals Today

Issue 109

www.principalstoday.co.nz HEAD OFFICE

Academy House 2 Ivan Jamieson Place Christchurch Airport Christchurch

Hekia Parata on making it easier for schools to share resources and expertise

8

7

10

NEWS 6 CREATING EDUCATIONAL COHERENCE

MANAGING DIRECTOR

7 The need for specialist care

Gary Collins

GENERAL MANAGER OF OPERATIONS

Kylie Palermo

NATIONAL SALES & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Clive Greenwood

ADMINISTRATION

Preventing special needs students from being left behind

8 principal Q&A

Phone: 03 961 5050 Email: admin@academy.net.nz

SALES & ADVERTISING MEDIA CONSULTANTS

Epsom Girls Grammar School’s new principal, Lorraine Pound shares her thoughts on teaching, learning and life

NEWSROOM

Jonathon Taylor EDITOR Laura Hall JOURNALISTS Terri Cluckie Phone: 03 961 5098 Email: editor@academy.net.nz

PRODUCTION

Jarred Shakespeare Carolynne Brown Sarah Betman Olivia O’Callaghan Georgia Due

PPTA president Angela Roberts says our education system requires collaboration, not competition

7 KIWI TEACHERS FIND INTERNATIONAL FAVOUR OECD study rates our educators among the world’s most professional

9 CONNECTING KIDS WITH NATURE The TimberNook programme integrating sensory experience, imagination and nature

Stacey Coy Laura McLeod Lyn Wright Angela Barltrop Ann Clarkson Anneka Te Whetu

Bill Thew Melissa Sinclair Julie Lennon

6 Investing in educational success

ART DIRECTOR CO-ORDINATOR DESIGNERS

ISSN 1170-4071 (Print) ISSN 2230-6358 (Online)

10 the road to nowhere Nobody wants to see students expelled, but once the decision’s made, surely a simpler system to appeal the decision should be available

TOOLS 14 WEBSITES FOR SCHOOLS WANTING MORE An easy, cost effective way for schools of any size to get an online upgrade 14 THE STAGE SETTERS Portable stage and seating equipment that can fit any space

learning space 15 A WASTED RESOURCE IN OUR COMMUNITY Are New Zealand’s gifted children slipping through the cracks?

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property 17 THE CUSHIONFALL SOLUTION High-impact playground surfacing for your school 18 WETPOUR PLAYGROUND SURFACES Matting and surfacing products made to your specifications

16 AN EVENT FOR EDUCATORS We look at what the EduTECH 2016 conference has in store

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News | Viewpoints

By Angela Roberts, PPTA president

By Hekia Parata, Minister of Education

Investing in educational success

Creating educational coherence

By the time you read this you and your kids will be back in the routines of school life.

You will have also had time to absorb last year’s provisional NCEA results.

The controversial charter school policy looks more and more like a lame duck, with one of the first schools closed, the initial review finding no meaningful educational innovations, and reputable applicants to run more of them thin on the ground.

With this change, we would also be establishing competition between different levels of the system.

And even with the significant financial advantage that they have over public schools, allowing them to have tiny class sizes, the overall enrolments remain low, with most of the schools starting this year below the number of students they’re funded for.

Recent revelations of millions of dollars being paid by the Tertiary Education Commission to fund courses that had a fraction of the declared teaching time have meant around $25 million has had to be repaid, with heads rolling and more investigations underway.

Despite this, the government is pushing ahead with opening more of them next year, making a mockery of this programme being a ‘pilot’ as was promised in all the initial discussions.

The changes proposed would mean even less oversight of tertiary organisations, with any that set up charter schools being allowed to create a separate entity that wouldn’t have the oversight of the Ombudsman, the Auditor General, or be subject to the Official Information Act or State Sector Act.

For most of you this should be a source of quiet satisfaction. Once again achievement levels have risen at levels 1, 2 and 3. You and your teachers are making a difference to the lives of kids every day.

The NCEA results are a credit to our secondary principals and teachers, but also to those who work in our primary schools because, as we all know, students do not arrive at secondary school as blank slates.

They bring with them not only their cultural and family heritage, but also the skills and knowledge they have acquired at primary and intermediate school.

Those skills and that knowledge are the foundations on which future educational success is built.

Teaching is a partnership between teachers at primary and secondary schools as well as parents, wider whānau and the community. It is for that reason that my colleagues in Cabinet agreed a couple of years ago to invest $359 million in our flagship education initiative, Investing in Educational Success.

Trust me, it wasn’t easy. There are always many more proposals than money to fund them when Ministers make the final calls on the Budget, but ultimately they were excited by the opportunity to make a change in the quality of our education system.

As you will know, a key component of Investing in Educational Success is Communities of Learning which are specifically designed to foster collaboration between schools and communities.

We want to make it easier for teachers and principals to share resources and

expertise. We also want to create new career pathways that make it more attractive for great teachers to stay in the classroom.

The signs are that you and your colleagues share our enthusiasm for increased collaboration and opportunity.

But back to last year’s NCEA results; the final results will not be known for a couple more months, but in addition to knowing that achievement rates are rising across the board, we also already know achievement rates for Māori and Pasifika students have continued their sharp rise.

Since 2008 the number of young Māori and Pasifika gaining NCEA Level 2, the minimum qualification necessary for further education and training, has increased more than 50 percent. That means thousands more young Māori and Pasifika are embarking on adulthood each year with the skills they need to play a full part in the future.

That is great news for a group of students who have historically not been well served by the education system and great news for the rest of us, because New Zealand is a small country a long way from the rest of the world.

To maintain and even improve our standard of living and provide future generations with the opportunities we want them to have, we need to make the most of all our talent.

That we are making such great progress is a tribute to all of you.

As a government we have taken it upon ourselves to refresh and revitalise the education system so that you have the tools you need to make a difference to the lives of your charges, but the actual work is being done at the chalk face.

Thank you for your efforts on behalf of all our kids. I look forward to meeting many of you over the course of the year and hearing, this time next year, of further progress.

At the same time, a recently introduced government bill will allow public tertiary education organisations, like universities or wānanga, to run charter schools in the future.

There are numerous problems with this, but in desperation to expand the pool of applicants beyond fringe religious groups and other opportunists with limited education experience, they seem set on pushing ahead.

A coherent, well connected and effective education system is something that most people agree would be a good thing. We’ve got some elements of this in New Zealand, as lots of the individual components are very effective, but what we’re really lacking is the system level coherence.

A significant reason for this is that since 1989, we have set up schools to compete with each other rather than collaborate.

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Charter schools run by tertiary education organisations would be designed to attract students from existing secondary schools, and funnel them into their tertiary programmes, further undermining senior secondary programmes for students who remain in local public schools.

It is not as if the tertiary education sector doesn’t have its own challenges to deal with.

For a completely public organisation to be allowed to behave as if it’s a private corporation is a new twist on the privatisation agenda, and one that should ring alarm bells.

Ironically, the government has also recently changed the funding model of charter schools to try and encourage their private operators to get more ‘skin in the game’, with none of the initial nine bringing any private investment at all, instead relying completely on the generous public funding.

Allowing public tertiary education organisations to run charters does the opposite, creating further risks for the taxpayer rather than spreading the risk to the private sector.

Tertiary institutions have an important and challenging job as it is, and this role-confusion is the last thing that they, or the education system as a whole, needs.

News | In the Classroom

The need for specialist care Preventing special needs students from being left behind

By Terri Cluckie

In August last year, parliament launched an enquiry into the identification and support for students with significant challenges of dyslexia, dyspraxia, and autism spectrum disorders in primary and secondary schools, and asked for public submissions.

In excess of 500 documents have been uploaded to the parliament website as submissions to the inquiry.

Submissions came from a wide range of concerned groups. Parents, occupational therapists, children’s foundations, among many others were some of those who submitted recommendations and personal accounts of their experiences with the current system and how it is failing children who need it most.

Concerns circled around wait times for assistance and assessment with the shortage of staff and funding being one of the main causes.

One submission came from the New Zealand Educational Institute, Te Riu Roa, a professional organisation and industrial union that represents the interests and issues of its 50,000 members. It is one of the largest unions and professional bodies in New Zealand.

Its submission laid out five recommendations. These were: • More equitable access to resources for recognition, diagnosis and early intervention • On-going resourced intervention by trained experts • Secure, on-going employment and career pathways for teachers, aides and education support workers, thus ensuring stability and continuity for students • Significant investment in PLD for teachers and teacher aides working with children with special education needs • Improved initial teacher education that addresses working with learners with conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The submission quotes evidence from studies conducted by various groups and organisations and asks that parliament makes moves to ensure “all learners who are having difficulty with learning receive the support that they need”.

Parliament asked that submissions review the implementation of the 2008 NZ Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline recommendations specific to education, to assess the level of progress that is currently being made.

The NZEI submission highlighted the shortfalls of the implementation,

quoting from the ASD guideline itself.

“Interventions should start early, as soon as significant developmental delay is recognised, and be proactive.

The child or young person’s programme should be individualised and designed to engage the child or young person and provide a highly supportive environment.”

The submission also called for more recognition and investment in the role of SENCO (special education needs co-ordinator) in schools.

“The role of a SENCO in a school is usually undertaken by a senior teacher and often they do not receive extra training or time to advocate on behalf of diverse learners,” says Janice Jones, Karori West deputy principal and SENCO.

In a December 2015 press release from NZEI themselves, senior teachers spoke out in support of the submissions recommendations, taking the chance to further highlight the issues at hand.

The release mentions the case of a five year old boy with severe needs who languished for six months on a wait list for Speech Language Therapy because the Ministry of Education did not have enough staff.

Ultimately, teachers and parents alike are keen to see reform that implements a fast and individual approach for children who either need assessment or assistance, and that they receive this support from trained professionals who also have access to the correct resources needed for each subject.

Kiwi teachers find international favour Education Minister Hekia Parata has welcomed an OECD study that has found New Zealand teachers are among the world’s most professional.

The Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS) ranked New Zealand teachers fourth out of 35 participating countries, behind the Russian Federation, Estonia and Singapore.

their principals at primary, intermediate and secondary schools.

New Zealand teachers did well in teacher training and professional development, autonomy in their work, and networking with peers.

One of the report’s main findings was that, unlike many other countries, there was no drop in teacher professionalism at socio-economically disadvantaged schools.

and collaborative research, and encouraging participation in networks with other teachers.

“We already do well in these fields, and we’ll do even better as our newlyestablished Communities of Learning gain momentum. That’s exactly what the communities are designed to do – help schools to cooperate so all kids can benefit from the expertise of our best teachers.”

“This is great news, and a real bouquet for our teachers,” she says.

“This is very encouraging,” says Ms Parata. “It shows our kids have access to great teachers, no matter what their background.”

The New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) president, Iain Taylor, says “The OECD research finding is a strong commendation for our high quality public education system.

In New Zealand the study looked at more than 2800 Year 7-10 teachers and

The report’s recommendations include providing more support for individual

“We are pleased that the Minister too has publicly acknowledged the

outstanding professionalism of our teachers right across the board.”

He says This result gives the Minister all the evidence she needs to now scrap charter schools which were intended to address the learning needs of priority students, who are more likely to populate low decile schools.

“It is now obvious that kids from disadvantaged backgrounds are much better off with the top professionals in our public schools than in charter schools where they may not even have a registered teacher,’ he says.

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News | Principal Q&A

Principal Q&A Epsom Girls Grammar School principal Lorraine Pound

Who has influenced you throughout your teaching career?

It may seem an odd answer but authors, poets and playwrights as well as educators and educational theorists have influenced me including Shakespeare, TS Eliot, Anne Michaels, James Belich, Orlando Figes, lecturers at Masters level in both history and educational leadership, teachers and senior leaders with whom I have worked, and Peter Senge, Pasi Sahlberg, Michael Fullan, and Jim Collins.

that will take students forward to their next steps in a multitude of exciting directions.

What new initiatives are you looking to implement at the school?

“

As the school goes into its second century we want to embrace the future, so developing challenging, stimulating and sustainable learning environments with spacious, flexible, adaptable physical spaces is one important initiative that I am interested in.

Using sustainable design features including solar power and clever use of natural light and natural ventilation for efficient energy use as well as the use of harvested water. Planning sustainable design provides an opportunity for students to contribute to and see theory in action.

PHOTO BY ALASTAIR LYNN, FAIRFAX

The start of the new school year has seen the appointment of a new principal for Epsom Girls Grammar. Lorraine Pound has been welcomed in as the new face of the Auckland high school’s senior leadership team.

And while the title of principal is new territory for Lorraine, the school grounds are not. She has been a deputy principal at the high school for the past six years and ran the history department during the 1990s.

She talks with Principals Today about what inspired her to apply for the role and her initiatives for the school as it approaches its centenary in 2017.

What inspired you to become an educator?

Like so many people who have gone into teaching, I had some wonderful teachers when I was at school. I really enjoyed knowing new things; the quest for evidence, as well as the story, in History and the beauty of language in English and Drama, so I knew that I

enjoyed the challenges and stimulation of being in a learning environment.

Also, my teachers were patient with me and they showed good humour and I appreciated that. Those things definitely had an influence on my becoming a teacher. Respect for childhood and adolescence through ‘good’ teaching is so important because children and adolescents are the future, so I was interested in being part of that journey.

What are the challenges of stepping into the role of principal for the first time and how are you overcoming these challenges?

One of the challenges is that the view becomes wider obviously than when you are a deputy principal with particular portfolio responsibilities.

You need to be able to balance more projects, more people and less time!

I’m very lucky - I have a wonderful senior leadership team and school staff. I think we all work hard at keeping things in proportion, making sure that we give careful thought when it is required and that we support each other. If everyone is working towards a common purpose, with shared expectations, a lot of the challenges become very positive ones.

What is the role Epsom Girls Grammar School plays in the life of its students?

I think and hope that students see the school as an important part of their life - a place of opportunity and breadth of experience - curricular and co-curricular. Our students show a real sense of community - they support each other and admire and respect each others’ talents, which seems to me an indication that they see the school as a place where diversity is supported and celebrated - diversity of people; diversity of strengths and interests.

What makes Epsom Girls Grammar School unique?

I wouldn’t say that it is absolutely unique, but I believe that EGGS really lives and breathes a ‘magical paradox’ of stability - holding fast to timeless core values - and at the same time relentlessly pursuing progress and change that is beneficial; being at the cutting edge of pedagogical innovation.

This means that students, families and staff can be sure of the identity and culture of the school, while, at the same time, knowing that the school is not fixed but consciously continuously improving.

We have a drive to serve students well and that means being passionate about quality education - an education

What would you change if you were the Minister of Education?

Goodness - for me it is something much bigger than can be accomplished by any single Minister. I believe that we should strive for both equity and excellence in education in New Zealand so that all children and adolescents have equal access to a high quality education.

Students have always taught me that the future is in good hands because of their optimism, their talents, their delight in learning, their perseverance, their sense of fun and their ability to think deeply and critically.

”

It is an investment in the future as positives abound when a population enjoys success in education. If we could have early interventions in learning, health and support services in schools where funding ensures equity of physical environments and teaching and learning quality, imagine the potential for the can-do, innovative kiwi attitude that we already know can produce individuals who punch well above their weight internationally in so many fields.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Seeing students making progress to achieve their own individual goals with the support of caring, specialist, capable teachers, who encourage student agency and independence.

What have your students taught you?

Students have always taught me that the future is in good hands because of their optimism, their talents, their delight in learning, their perseverance, their sense of fun and their ability to think deeply and critically.

Students have also taught me that, with support and help, those who may be in a space that is not productive or positive, are able to shift to a better place; that change is powerful and always possible.

Resources available from ERO: • School Evaluation Indicators: effective practice for improvement and learner success • Internal Evaluation: good practice • Effective School Evaluation: how to do and use internal evaluation for improvement Email info@ero.govt.nz for copies 8 | Term 1, 2016 www.principalstoday.co.nz

www.ero.govt.nz

News | School Life

Connecting kids with nature

By Terri Cluckie

Our lifestyles have changed drastically during the years, with technological advances playing a very big part in drawing children indoors, further away from the outside and experiencing social contact with others.

With a plan to reconnect children with nature, Wendy Pirie MHSc and her husband, Colin, have set up nature programme, TimberNook, in New Zealand to encourage children from birth – 12 years to get outdoors and ‘experience play in their own way’.

TimberNook was originally established in the United States by paediatric occupational therapist, Angela Hanscom. Angela created the programme in order to educate families, teachers and the broader community about the critical links between play, nature and child development.

Upon hearing about her work, Wendy and Colin took on the challenge to set-up their own TimberNook master license in New Zealand after undergoing training with Angela in the US. They launched their first camp in Hawke’s Bay just over a year ago and are already experiencing sold out camps.

The TimberNook health and education programme offers a range of day camps and sessions with the aim of integrating sensory experiences, imagination and nature for children.

TimberNook views outdoor play as a form of preventative health care for children by getting them outdoors.

“Our curriculum is designed to ignite imagination and creativity, and the children are free to then explore that and play their own way,” Wendy says.

“It’s really interesting to see how children, often on their first day or two of camp, check in with the adults; ‘can we do this, can we do that?’, and then by day three they’re just immersed and comfortable and just blooming really.

“There’s something about nature that just calls people. It’s a really special thing to be a part of and seeing what happens,” she says.

Playgroups are available for children from birth to six years of age, with parents welcome to attend the two and a half to three hour sessions. These playgroups are what Wendy calls ‘education outside the classroom’ where children learn to play and experience the outdoors independently.

Thirteen different TimberNook programs are available throughout 2016. These include the StoryBook Camp for children aged four to seven years, lasting around four hours a day, five days a week.

The Enchanted Camp is available to children aged five to 10 years and lasts up to six hours a day, three to five days a week. And the Going Wild Camp is available for children aged seven to 12 years, six hours a day, five days a week.

The camps and day sessions can be attended individually or through schools and early childhood environments. Parents can contact TimberNook independently and arrange to take their child/children along to any of the available programmes, while schools and preschools just need to get in contact to register their interest.

Wendy explains that the comments from parents and schools have been fantastic. “Feedback is that children just want to come back and play the TimberNook way.”

Wendy and Colin successfully launched another TimberNook provider in Wellington in early January 2016, and aim to open a second in Hawke’s Bay in the near future. Ultimately their vision is to have a TimberNook camp in each region of New Zealand to ensure accessibility to all children across the country.

Making contact in a crisis A school communication expert says the latest Christchurch earthquakes are a reminder to schools to ensure that they are able to effectively communicate with parents and staff in a crisis.

Andrew Balfour, managing director of School-links, a leading school communication provider says, “In such an event principals and administrators need to alert parents about the status of a school and whether it will be open. They must be able to access caregiver contact details off-site and be able to use various channels of communication, not only rely on text and phone calls.”

communication in minutes from any smart device.”

Andrew recently hosted an Emergency Planning webinar where he shared some of the lesser known challenges schools face when tackling an emergency and how best to respond.

Examples of how Kiwi schools faced several different emergency scenarios in the past few years were also discussed. Go to www.school-linksco.hs-sites.com/emergency-webinar to listen to a recording of the webinar.

Visit www.school-links.co.nz for more resources on how schools can effectively respond to earthquakes and other emergencies.

Andrew pointed out that several cell phone towers were temporarily down after the February 14, 5.7 magnitude earthquake. Access to email or app-based services in addition to text messaging or direct dialling is prerequisite in such situations.

With more than eight years of experience working with schools across the country during emergency events such as earthquakes, flooding, tornados, lockdowns and snow storms, Andrew strongly advocates the use of an emergency notification system to reassure parents.

“If the Sunday earthquake had taken place one day later, there would have been a lot more chaos as parents tried to contact schools or reach children direct. This panic can be prevented by immediately contacting parents and then keeping them updated.

“Emergency notification systems work with a school’s existing database, enabling school leaders to send out alerts using all available means of

About School-links School-links is a leading New Zealand online communications tool for schools and early childhood centres. The company’s technology solutions help connect schools and their families, staff and supporters. These solutions are grounded in a belief in the importance of community engagement in school life and crucially in the safety and security of staff and students.

For more details about each camp and pricing, contact Wendy at wendy. pirie@timbernook.com, visit www. timbernook.com or the TimberNook New Zealand Facebook page.

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2016 | 9

News | Cover Story

The road to nowhere

By Laura Baker

On a weekday evening, gathered in a classroom, a board of trustees’ disciplinary subcommittee meet over lukewarm cups of tea. They hold a student’s future and the school’s needs in their hands as they decide the fait of a troubled teen who has acted up in school.

They discuss whether they should follow the school management’s recommendation to expel the student, or if they should reach an understanding to let the kid come back on certain conditions.

The student’s emotional parents sit at the other side of the table trying to reason with the group. But it is too late; the decision is made and the student is expelled from school, left with few options available to dispute the decision.

Approximately six in every 1,000 New Zealand students are excluded or expelled from school each year.

While the numbers seem small, the impact on the lives of these students is huge with long-lasting consequences.

The Pantograph Punch co-editor, Joe Nunweek, has witnessed first-hand the effects exclusion and expulsion has on children and has written about his experiences and those of other students in his essay ‘3 Boys’.

The narrative-based essay examines the often unfair expulsion process and (as the title suggests) how three high school students were disciplined. Here Joe discusses his essay with Principals Today and argues the point for a better system to make sure young people are protected on their way through the expulsion system.

Joe wrote the essay after attending disciplinary subcommittee hearings in the capacity as a lay advocate for students who were facing exclusion or expulsion. “The most recent one (hearing) I’d found pretty heart breaking to attend as an advocate and see the impact on the family.”

To protect the identity of the boys in the essay, they are labelled Boy A, Boy B and Boy C. Boy A Boy A had done drugs. In the essay Joe writes, “he didn’t do them at school, but he had done drugs with the boys who did do drugs at school. Plus, it was on the record. For the past several months, he’d been seeing a school guidance counsellor for depression.

In the sessions, he openly described having the same recreational alcohol and drug habits of virtually every eighteen-year-old boy in the country.”

After a spate of drug use at school by other students, the school’s leadership team was on a mission to hunt down anyone involved. They suspended Boy A immediately and put him in front of the disciplinary subcommittee.

Boy A’s saving grace was his lay advocate, a recent law graduate who had accompanied the family. The advocate, whom Joe reveals in the essay to be himself, stammered out a

10 | Term 1, 2016 www.principalstoday.co.nz

JOE NUNWEEK

“

An independent appeal panel would be faster and less costly for both the school and family compared to the High Court. A drive to some sort of independent education appeals panel would be a really amazing move for New Zealand.

”

few words about natural justice.

His argument won the case and Boy A was allowed to return to finish the two terms he needed to get enough credits to enter a polytechnic course.

“Boy A was over 16, so if he had been expelled from school, no one else would have had to take him.

If you disagree with the school board’s decision, you can complain to the Education Review Office, but they don’t intervene lightly, and can’t actually take any action to fix the situation beyond a report to the Minister.”

The other option the essay explains is taking it to court. “Boy A’s parents – lots of parents – say they’ll go to court if they need to. And they can, but a judicial review in the High Court of New Zealand costs between $25,000 and $30,000. It takes months if not years to go through the motions. At the end, with no guarantee of success, the student has still been out of school the whole time.”

Teens in this group end up being kicked out of school with little to no qualifications and fall into a lifestyle on the margins, often spending long empty days getting into more trouble.

Joe says it is difficult to leave school at 16 now and find work, let alone an appropriate training course. This time can turn into lost years for students expelled with no alternative study or work options.

Boy B Boy B was a smart kid with good grades, his bully was a head taller and a typical sports ‘jock’ that continually tormented him physically and mentally.

One afternoon at the start of maths, the bigger kid picked up a plastic chair and brought it crashing down on Boy B’s head. Joe writes, “In front of a class of 30, Boy B spun around, pale limbs akimbo, and dealt the bigger kid one across the face.

News | Cover Story “The bigger kid reeled with a bloody nose, a purple eye and a narrow gash from a wayward thumb.” Joe says he knows these details because Boy B was him.

“

Boy A was over 16, so if he had been expelled from school, no one else would have had to take him. If you disagree with the school board’s decision, you can complain to the Education Review Office, but they don’t intervene lightly, and can’t actually take any action to fix the situation beyond a report to the Minister.

“My school had, and still has, a zerotolerance approach to violence.

Physical assault on another student falls under the category of ‘gross misconduct’ that can cop an immediate suspension, but neither I nor the other kid ended up excluded, let alone in front of a board.

“We were each high achieving students in the top stream for our year, with respectable extra-curricular involvement. I think they saw more good in keeping us in the school than there was bad,” he explains.

His experience in the disciplinary process has led him to believe there is a double standard that treats bright students with more leniency. “I get the feeling schools feel more confident that a bright student’s misdemeanour may just be a lapse or an aberration.”

The essay notes as of 2013, New Zealand schools have expelled around 3.7 times more boys than they do girls.

It goes on to say that students who are Maori or Pasifika are between 30 and 60 percent more likely to get expelled than their Pakeha classmates.

He says it represents statistical trends towards under achievement in a lot of ways.

“If Maori and Pasifika students are facing some of these other higher socioeconomic barriers and difficulties, they will compound into bad behaviour at school. You find yourself in trouble more often at school until they kick you out. It’s the beginning of a long trail of over-representation.”

Boy C Diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger’s syndrome, Boy C was 16 and lonely. Joe explains in the essay that he didn’t have the best record, he’d been in trouble a number of times for “late arrivals to class, getting out of his chair and wandering when he’d been told not to, of petty and poorly concealed thefts, of pulling hair or punching in the back when ignored or upset”.

His school holidays were spent at home alone living vicariously through his classmates’ statuses and photos on Facebook. “Then on the last day of holiday, he was added to a group chat.

A bunch of guys and girls, were talking about sex. They asked him if he’d ever done it. ‘Yes’.

“They didn’t believe him. Who with? He had a flash of inspiration – and before

”

his better judgement caught up, he’d typed in the name of his history teacher.

“Suddenly, they were all interested, egging him on, asking for more details. . . It felt good, typing, them laughing, wanting more. The next day they all showed the history teacher the Facebook conversation and he was suspended.”

At the board of trustees meeting, Boy C’s parents were told he was facing expulsion for continual disobedience.

“Boy C asked to read a statement he had prepared. It was probably the longest and most controlled speech he’d ever given, even as he trembled and focused on his handwritten refill.

He was sorry for everything he’d done.

He’d never had a girlfriend, or a friend, and he just wanted to keep being talked to and keep being included.

“He said he could try to explain how, as the medication wore off, he stopped thinking of consequences and just acted on impulse, but that he knew it wasn’t an excuse. He said he just wanted to stay, that he would even do some days at home to avoid trouble.

He wanted to finish NCEA Level 1 and then find a course somewhere. He just wanted one last chance.

“The board took four minutes to decide that Boy C would be expelled. When they did, he hid his face behind his sheet so they wouldn’t see him burst into tears,” says the essay.

Joe says he hopes this case prompts teachers to think about the dynamic

nature of what leads students to misbehave and why.

He recommends New Zealand should implement an independent appeal panel, similar to that in the United Kingdom.

“Often schools have a zero tolerance policy and apply one rule to all students.”

But it is worth considering if students should be treated on a case by case basis, taking into account the students overall behaviour, he says.

He asks education professionals to consider how their zero tolerance policy is working.

Perhaps there is some unfairness around who tends to be caught and faces punishment and who doesn’t?

Is the zero tolerance policy really creating the environment in the school and the community around the school that they want to foster?

Right of appeal Joe says New Zealand needs good systems in place to make sure young people are protected on their way through the disciplinary process and at the moment that isn’t fully being provided.

He credits the hard job community volunteers of disciplinary subcommittees do, and agrees the matter should initially be decided within the school.

But he says we are missing an important backstop that is needed to give expelled students the chance to appeal a decision before it gets too expensive and too time consuming in the High Court for both the families and the school.

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“An independent appeal panel would be faster and less costly for both the school and family compared to the High Court. A drive to some sort of independent education appeals panel would be a really amazing move for New Zealand.”

Students in the UK facing exclusion or expulsion have an automatic right of appeal. The appeal is reviewed by an independent panel of lay educational professionals and people with legal expertise.

He says statistics from 2012 show only a small proportion of expulsions and exclusions go to the appeal panel. Of the decisions that do get appealed, far less than 25 percent are even challenged. Most school’s decisions in that environment are completely upheld.

Irrelevant of the appeal panel’s decision, having the option available is fundamental to a fair system, he says. And it is easy to see how it could be implemented in New Zealand as we already have a number of low cost specialist tribunals in operation.

To read the full essay visit: www.pantograph-punch.com The essay was originally published on the Pantograph Punch and has since been reprinted in Tell You What: Great New Zealand Nonfiction 2015

ALL OUR DESIGNER SAFEBOTTLES ARE LIMITED EDITIONS!

www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2016 | 11

Working Space | Furniture

All about flexible learning At Woods, we believe that education is of the utmost importance – not just for the children of today but for our world tomorrow.

This belief has driven our team, for over half a century, to study how children learn – from a behavioural, ergonomic and cognitive perspective – and to develop furniture that is flexible, adaptable and stimulating.

Our product range positively enhances the educational environment, ensuring our children are reaching their full learning potential.

Though it may not be known by many, Woods has been supplying products to the New Zealand market through a sales agency since 1996. And while we have had much success with our ever-popular PantoFlex chair, Hokki stool and DuraPos chair, we felt it was time to make our entire product range available to New Zealand customers.

Therefore, we’re extremely excited to introduce our full range of products which inspire education and allow students to perform better in a flexible and stimulating setting.

There is an added benefit here – value for money; by buying direct from the manufacturer, on-selling costs are a thing of the past.

At Woods, not only are we committed to providing inspired and flexible learning environments, we are also passionate about providing a better world for future generations.

At our factory we have adopted processes of utilising solar power, harvesting rainwater, waste minimisation, resource conservation, recycling and sustainable manufacturing decisions and processes.

It is this consideration that sets us apart and this is the contribution we are making to the world of tomorrow.

Additionally, we proudly manufacture our products to the highest quality standards, of AS/NZS 4610, ensuring our products meet the demands of classrooms today and well into the future. We back this promise with a 10 year warranty on the entire Woods range.

“

We believe that furniture can improve the learning environment.

”

“

We create furniture that inspires and enables students to reach their full learning potential, and contributes to a better future for them and our planet.

”

Catering to students at all levels far and wide Woods supplies furniture to preschools, kindergartens, primary schools, high schools and tertiary institutions throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.

Setting the standard Woods Student Chairs conform to the highest standards: AS/NZS 4610.2, AS/ NZS 4610.3, ISO 5970 and EN 1729.

WE’RE FOR FLEXIBLE LEARNING.

Flexible learning solutions Project and team work, social learning and collaborative behaviour need the high flexibility that Woods designs offer. With a large range of products tested and approved by AFRDI, Woods can confidently guarantee their furniture for 10 years.

Flexible Flexible furniture such as desks and Storage Porters™ on castors allow for the interior space of the room to be changed around to suit various activities.

Adaptable Adaptable furniture such as Iris Tables™, Byte Tables and Triquetra Pods™ can be used for collaborative learning styles and also as individual desks.

Stimulating Stimulating learning environments are made easy with Woods’ colours and imaginative shapes that have been designed by experts to improve the pedagogy. Woods’ colours, product designs and expertise in creating successful learning environments bring education to life.

Environmentally friendly Woods is committed to a more sustainable world for future generations. Now, perhaps more than ever before in human history, we need to be acutely aware of our ‘footprint’ on the earth. So we are playing our part in reducing the impact of the industry on the environment and all the company’s products are developed with this key criteria in mind.

Product range Seating solutions The Woods Educational Furniture range offers seating for your school including seating for classrooms, science, art, music, computer seminars and conferences.

12 | Term 1, 2016 www.principalstoday.co.nz

Security lockers The Woods Educational Furniture Security Locker range and storage solutions are available in numerous configurations, to suit any school environment from corridors to sporting facilities.

Student desks Woods Educational Furniture manufactures a range of tables and desks including classroom tables, computer desks, workstations, staff desks, meeting tables, multi-purpose benches and adjustable tub desks.

To find out more about our innovative range of educational furniture contact Aron Fuller on 0275 344 282 or email aron@woodsfurniturenz.co.nz

Working Space | ICT

Working Space | Performing Arts

Websites for schools wanting more

The stage setters

The SchoolWeb Website Content Management System (CMS) is an easy and cost effective way for schools of all sizes to implement a website.

• Stage platforms, catwalks, tiered risers, choir risers • Portable grandstands for the gym, sports field or by the pool • Steps, ramps, trolleys, lecterns, bridges, ballet barres, sports shelters etc

The system allows schools to log in to a password protected system and maintain their website. Unlike other competing systems, SchoolWeb allows full control over creating and amending webpages, and it’s almost as straightforward as using Microsoft Word.

• Stage extensions and pit infills • Theatre and venue design or refit.

IDEAL FOR SCHOOLS Strong, light, safe, durable, simple, versatile, portable, modular, premium quality products that are engineer certified and tested.

You do not need any knowledge of HTML, web programming, or how to upload your site using complicated FTP software. You can update the site from wherever you have a web-browser and an Internet connection.

Let’s say it’s been a few years since your website was given a facelift, then SchoolWeb may be the answer you’ve been looking for. The CMS is an easy and cost effective way for schools of all sizes to implement a website.

To begin with, your website is designed by a professional graphic designer, who goes to great lengths to ensure that the graphical design reflects the unique culture of the school. Then free training is provided to get you started and there are no expensive yearly licensing fees.

Now of course you’ll want to update, improve and adapt your site as time goes on, so all the editing is done through the CMS system that’s easy enough for even the most technophobic classroom teachers and admin staff to use.

As well as a general website media, SchoolWeb features ways for staff to collaborate, parents to participate, children to communicate and the whole community to share in the

The Stronglite Staging® range of portable, modular stage and seating equipment is designed and manufactured exclusively in New Zealand including:

activities of schools in a safe way moderated by the schools.

Newsletters, calendars, homework downloads, classroom projects with visitor and parent comments, forums, rosters, resource bookings, calendars, blogs and surveys are among the many abilities of the SchoolWeb system.

The schools are in control and anything is possible.

Another focus is the growing trend towards integrating content from external websites. Schoolweb allows content from Youtube, Teachertube, Slideshare, Twitter, Blogger, Google Apps and numerous other style sites to be easily embedded into the system.

Schools can obtain more information from either www.schoolweb.co.nz or by calling 0800 48 48 43

Strength: Stronglite Stage and Seating products are designed and manufactured to be strong and durable and are tested to make sure they meet our high standards of performance under live and static load conditions.

Lightness: Innovative design and use of material creates equipment that is light and easy to handle, saving time and possible injury.

Safety: Engineer’s design certification, documented test results, qualified trades-people, monitoring of product in the workplace, established safe working loads, and our products conform to or exceed industry regulations and guidelines. You can be sure that our premium quality products meet exacting safety standards.

Simplicity: Superior design ensures our products are quick, simple and easy to transport and assemble, saving you time and effort.

Versatility: Particular attention has been paid to designing stage/seating systems that are multi-use wherever possible, including indoor and outdoor use. Stage sections can form stage platforms, catwalks or can be tiered for audience seating or seated choir/ orchestra use, stage extensions and pit infils.

Portability: We design for easy handling, transporting and storage.

Choir risers fold up and wheel away.

Grandstands quickly disassemble for easy transport and storage. Wheels and trolleys are also available for increased manoeuvrability.

STAGE SECTION These are portable, safe and easy to handle and store. They’re ideal for stages, catwalks, tiered audience seating, seated choir/orchestra risers, display/work tables, ramps and more.

No tools are required as there are no folding or moving parts to trap fingers etc. Sections can be stacked on castor wheels for storage and moved as a stack.

Pit Infills & Stage Extensions These can be custom designed and are ideal for either new venues or refits.

Choir Risers Two, three and four-level, folding choir risers with safety rails and carpeted decks are quiet, stable, easy to handle, transport and store.

Grandstands These all aluminium grandstands can be demountable or fixed. Wheels can be fitted for manoeuvrability making them ideal for the gym, around pools and the sports field.

Portable Sports Shelters Excellent for use at the tennis or netball courts or on the rugby fields.

Ballet Barres Perfect for dance studios.

For professional, stylish products guaranteed to enhance any venue or event, choose Stronglite Staging®.

Stronglite Staging Limited 196 Finlayson Rd RD10, Hamilton T (07) 825 2933 E stages@stronglite.co.nz

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14 | Term 1, 2016 www.principalstoday.co.nz

Learning Space | Gifted Education

A wasted resource in our community

By Deborah Walker Small Poppies: This programme designed specifically for young gifted children provides challenging learning experiences within a child-centred environment combined with support for parents.

There’s a group of learners in our system that are possibly our greatest underachievers.

They’re not starving or physically neglected, they’re not injured, sick or ill-treated, but their lights are going out nevertheless.

MindPlus: A one day programme provides the opportunity for likeminded intellectually and creatively gifted New Zealanders to access learning provisions that meet their unique and diverse needs.

They are frequently misunderstood and often overlooked. They are the gifted.

New Zealand’s young future leaders and innovators, and they are slipping through the cracks.

Gifted Online: This is a unique online opportunity for gifted learners.

A variety of programmes from a MindPlus equivalent to specific areas of talent development are offered as an individual or team experience.

Our gifted learners are up against a world view that believes they already have it made - they are lucky. Fifteen years ago I thought the same thing I was wrong.

All kids aren’t gifted - though they are all unique - gifted kids learn differently from their age cohort. Gifted kids don’t find everything easy, in fact few are gifted in every area - but many children in their areas of strength are not challenged enough.

Gifted kids are not well looked after in our inclusive system because our educators don’t necessarily know enough about how to teach them, and with little pre-service training and little Ministry of Education support, that’s not really surprising.

recognise, some actively or passively ‘hide’ their giftedness, some reject difference, some use their giftedness in surprising ways, some even develop talents in areas outside the scope of our curriculum.

These kids need teachers who understand asynchrony, who know how to teach past the ceiling, who understand what depth and complexity really means and who value the process and progress as much as any achievement.

Giftedness exists across all communities in New Zealand - every socio-economic, every ethnicity and culture and manifests when encouragement, opportunity and confidence combine.

They also need teachers who can guide them through a myriad of actual and potential social and emotional minefields. Being gifted isn’t a label that determines a destination; it’s a condition – a physiological and educational diagnosis.

My journey into gifted education has shown me these kids are diverse learners, that some have learning difficulties as well as extraordinary gifts and talents. That some are hard to

At the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education we believe that every child has the right to achieve regardless of their background, challenge or need. We believe that by working in

partnership with families and schools we can create educational change; building a world in which our gifted children are seen as having potential, and where every gifted child is enabled to be the best that they can be regardless of their background, the challenges they face or the needs they may have.

The team behind our programmes has over 300 years of teaching experience between them! That means we understand the pressures facing teachers today, and we understand the challenges our families want to overcome.

This team has specialised in gifted education both in the regular classroom context and also the withdrawal setting. They understand about providing relevant and authentic learning experiences and about building resilience.

Services currently offered by the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education:

Consultancy Services for educators, parents and the networks that support gifted learners. The Consultancy offers advisory, learning, practical and resourcing support, bringing specialist knowledge and experience of what is recommended in the education of gifted students and what works for them in practice.

NZCGE exists as a resource in the educational community. We are keen to share what we already have developed, but also to co-create new opportunities and support schools in their development of programmes for gifted learners. In short, we just want to make the school experience as rewarding for this group of learners as for any other- we want their lights turned on.

Information about our programmes can be found on our website, as can all contact details. Visit www.nzcge.co.nz Deborah Walker is CEO of the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education

Support for gifted kids.

Do you have children in your class or school who…

• Show huge potential but are also the class clown?

• Are withdrawn or tuned-out and only engage when the topic interests them?

• Use complex vocabulary and share detailed ideas that their peers don’t connect with?

MindPlus is a one-day programme for intellectually and creatively gifted children could be what you need to support your gifted students.

Call our friendly staff on 0800 769 243 to talk about your needs and what our programmes or our consultancy can do to support you and your gifted students.

Places Available Now Entry Selection for the MindPlus one-day programme is open.

Contact us now to find out more: 0800 769 243 www.nzcge.co.nz

Learning Space | Events

Learning Space | Awards

EduTECH 2016 Conference - special invitation to all NZ educators Following a hugely successful 2015 conference, EduTECH will return to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on May 30 and 31, 2016, bringing together the entire learning life-cycle under one roof for yet another year.

Consisting of one large scale exhibition with eight parallel conferences, and eight post-event masterclasses (held on June 1), more than 8,000 professionals are expected to attend the largest education technology event in AsiaPacific and the Southern Hemisphere.

Schools, tertiary education, workplace learning, libraries and Vocational Education and Training (VET) will all be in attendance to improve the quality of teaching and learning in Australasia and Asia-Pacific.

Why you should attend? EduTECH brings you unparalleled networking with educators from across the region, as well as exclusive access to some of Australasia and the world’s most well regarded education and technology experts.

This year 230 speakers are scheduled to deliver world class talks on their field of expertise.

Among them include Jane McGonigal, world renowned game designer and innovator who has been named one of the “Top Ten Innovators to Watch” by

A story worth telling for PM’s award winners

Business Week, and “10 Most Powerful Women to Watch” by Forbes.

As well as delivering a keynote speech, she will also be hosting a workshop where you can share your experiences with games in education and meet the game designer herself.

As well as expert speakers, 250 exhibitors will be in attendance including focused breakout sessions, masterclasses and dedicated leadership seminars for hands-on engaged learning, all so you can completely tailor make your own experience during the three day event.

EduTECH’s choice of optional and practical masterclasses are led by world renowned keynote speakers.

By adding a post-congress master class to your registration, you get the chance to spend an entire day learning from one of the world’s leading education thinkers.

Masterclasses are more interactive, practical and intimate, so they offer a more in-depth learning experience.

Numbers are strictly limited and have sold out in previous years, so make sure you book early to guarantee your spot.

Registration is already open for you to book your place with a range of package options.

Receive a 10 percent discount off your delegate registration using code “PT10’! This is valid only for New Zealand delegates.

www.edutech.net.au

Central Regional Health School winner of the Excellence in Leading Atakura Award with Principal Ken McIntosh holding the awards trophy at the 2015 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards.

Now in its third year, the Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards has shared inspiring stories from schools and early childhood education services from around the country.

Here’s one story from Central Regional Health School who won the Excellence in Leading Atakura Award category last year.

Principal Ken McIntosh has led Central Regional Health School since it opened its doors 16 years ago.

Central Regional Health School’s role is to ensure that students with high health needs, who are unable to attend school, can still access the school curriculum.

It provides education to some of our most vulnerable students, from primary to secondary school age, working alongside multiple agencies and in numerous locations.

“We began with just seven teachers, teaching students who were physically sick,” Ken says.

In 2004 the school began teaching in a Youth Justice residence and in 2014 a Care and Protection residence. Ken says the school has grown in a strategic way to provide education programmes for children with differing health and wellbeing needs.

All students are on individual learning programmes based on the school curriculum and their health or welfare needs.

16 | Term 1, 2016 www.principalstoday.co.nz

opportunity to step back and review how the school was operating.

“It was timely for us to step back and think about what made us special,” he says. “Our story had a lot of depth because it was a long time story over our 15 year history - it wasn’t just a one off thing.

“It was great for us to get the feedback from the judges. One of them said ‘there’re no egos at this school’, which is right. It’s not about us; it’s about the students that we’re teaching. Comments like that are really affirming.”

“

If you have a story to tell then it’s worth putting the effort in and doing it well. You’ve got to have a story that has depth and substance to it. What you’re showing the judges has to be really genuine.

- PRINCIPAL KEN MCINTOSH

”

Winners of the Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards receive cash prizes and professional development opportunities.

Ken says the school is using its prize money to invest in its staff through further professional learning.

Ken says that entering the awards was definitely worthwhile. “If you have a story to tell then it’s worth putting the effort in and doing it well. You’ve got to have a story that has depth and substance to it. What you’re showing the judges has to be really genuine.”

“When we won the Excellence in Leading Atakura Award there was a huge amount of satisfaction and pride for staff – they’re all quite pleased to be teaching at a school that has won a Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Award,” he says.

Entering the Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards gave the school an

Finalists for the 2016 Awards will be announced in May.

Property | Making Schools Safe

The Cushionfall solution High-impact playground surfacing is an important factor in any school or educational environment.

As a licensed manufacturer producing woodchip soft-fall surfacing to international standards, this has become a specialist area for Reharvest Timber Products Ltd. The Reharvest Cushionfall product used in playgrounds has the highest impact test of any soft-fall surfacing in Australasia. United States Testing Laboratories found it is better at absorbing shock than rubber mats 3.75 inches (9.5cm) thick, and is 25 percent more shock absorbent after five years of use.

It is now the preferred safety surfacing option by councils, schools and kindergartens.

Founded in 1994, Reharvest Timber Products Ltd specialises in making premium products out of urban forest material, or industrial wood waste.

The company takes pride in a history of more than 10 years of testing and development using international standards and technology.

Reharvest Cushionride is used in performance equestrian surfacing, and decorative landscape ground cover can be maintained by way of Reharvest Decorative Coloured Mulches.

Enviromulch is the preferred product for weed control, moisture retention and surface soil stabilisation.

Products made from urban forest are proven to last longer, have a slower decomposition and are more resistant to UV light. The resulting firm surface allows ease of use by wheelchairs, vehicles and horses.

An extensive history of working with clients in the playground, equestrian and landscaping industries puts Reharvest Timber at the top of its field in terms of high performance ground cover. An advisory and obligation free quote service can be obtained for the specific area in question.

Reharvest Timber Products Ltd 41a Hunua Road Papakura Auckland T (09) 299 3999 F (09) 298 2988 E info@reharvest.co.nz www.reharvest.co.nz

Helping Make School Safer!

Manufacturers of premium eco-friendly wood-chip products from recycled timber Providing Premium Woodchip for: • Early Childhood Centres • Primary Schools • District and Local Councils • Animal Bedding • Equestrian Horse Arenas • Garden Mulches • Decorative Colouted Woodchip

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www.principalstoday.co.nz Term 1, 2016 | 17

Property | Outdoor Areas

The benefits of the burgess system Pinehurst School

Matting and surfacing products made to your specifications

Modular outdoor covers Safe and cost-effective cover With high demand on principals to allocate the limited funding you receive, you want to know your money is well spent.

Add to this the importance of protecting staff, teachers and students from nature’s best and worst, be it winter weather or summer sun, then the simplicity and cost effectiveness of Uniport coverings makes them a wonderful solution for any school requiring some extra cover.

The innovative design of Uniport covers make them maintenance-free and built to last.

Uniport has been installed in schools around the world for the last 30 years, and the truly stunning aspect about Uniport is the cantilevered roof, which

allows you unlimited freedom to move around, because the posts are on just one side.

Having a Uniport installed outside a classroom gives added advantage for teachers, as they can send pupils outside when it’s raining, and in the summer it provides all the shade you need over hot classroom windows during those summer months.

Uniport structures are incredibly strong, being aircraft-grade aluminium – the best you can buy. Uniports can be extended as your school roll expands or funding is made available.

A Uniport can be installed outside of school hours.

For more information please call 0800 864 767, visit www.uniport.co.nz, or email Mark at: hewett@xtra.co.nz

The reasons for using and benefits of a Burgess Wetpour system are varied. This great playground surface enables your matting to be installed as a continuous installation, flowing around equipment and poles, leaving no gaps, rolling over mounds and following contoured surfaces.

Some of the key features for using this system are: • Continuous installation, flowing around equipment and poles, leaving no gaps, rolling over mounds and following contoured surfaces • Fabulous coloured options and you can join these with a pattern or design of your choice and you have your own unique playground • 100 percent recycled rubber.

Modern Forms, Functional Design

Invest in Quality Roof Protection for your school from Sun, Rain & Wind Why not use your outdoor area all year round?

Protection while enjoying the natural light, helps learning.

Designed like an aeroplane wing the Uniport is...

Unique, Functional, Safe.

• Ideal for modern learning environments.

Wetpour is installed onsite in a similar way to pouring concrete. The resulting surface is dry and ready to play on the following day. One sqm shockpads are laid over a compacted base and then 15mm of rubber is laid on top (In line with safety standards).

The thickness of the rubber applied is dependant on the required fall heights and substates.

Impact Pads for areas where a softer landing is needed, scuff pads, DIY modular long run and tiles, deck and ramp matting are also BMS specialties.

The benefits of these products include: • Make it non slip and safe • Avoid tile joins • Wetpour requires minimal maintenance – forget the days of topping up bark • Will last for many years as it’s very durable • Base preparation prior to the matting installation is of the utmost importance and can add years to your playground surface.

Burgess Matting offers a free, no obligation measure and quote. A sales representative can meet with you to discuss the matting systems which are suitable for your requirements.

Unique patterns and designs can easily be incorporated into this flexible system. It is the most economic of systems for larger installations and can be contoured and moulded over existing mounds etc.

Invest in BMS Wetpour Playground Matting and provide your children with a safe and enjoyable environment and give yourself the benefit of reduced maintenance.

We have a choice of seven standard colours: Marigold (Auburn), Tan, Sage, Light Grey, Black, Forest Green and Terracotta Red.

Burgess Matting T 0800 80 85 70 E admin@burgessmatting.co.nz www.burgessmatting.co.nz

• Less posts, means less hazards for students and staff.

• No connections to your school buildings means no leaks.

• Nation wide installers and service.

BURGESS Ask us about our school partnership programme, help us help you!

GET COVERED NOW!

M. 027 627 2127 | P. 09 627 2127 | www.uniport.co.nz 18 | Term 1, 2016 www.principalstoday.co.nz

MATTING AND SURFACING LTD

NZ owned since 1951

0800 808 570

E: sales@burgessmatting.co.nz W: www.burgessmatting.co.nz

Providing Recycled Rubber Safety Solutions Custom Made to your Specifications • Playground Wetpour Safety Surfacing • Playground Rubber rolls for self installation • Non-slip deck matting • Custom made doorway threshold ramps • Impact pads for under swings and slides • Cricket practice matting

NEED A NEW WEBSITE

FOR YOUR SCHOOL? Our websites start from $997+gst

for a standard business website - full e-commerce WEBSites ALSO AVAILABLE, which means your business can sell products 24/7.

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Email gary@fatweb.co.nz and include Free Report in your subject line.

120 day

money back

guarantee

on our Go Live

WeBSites...

If you’re not 100% satisfied, we’ll refund you in full, no questions asked.

Did you know...

If your site doesn’t appear in the first 2 pages when someone “Googles” your industry, you’re missing out on business.

In fact some studies show that less than 1% of people even look past the second page of Google.

We pride ourselves on providing unbelievable SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) which means endeavouring to get your business on the first couple of pages on Google.

For a

no obligation audit of your current website, or if you’d simply like to find out more, please call us on

Our parent company has been around since 1980.

FatWeb, formally known as Treacy Advertising has been running for 15 years, so if you have any issues you can be sure we’ll be here. We have been

making websites for more than 15 years - we know what we’re doing.

4 WEEK TURNAROUND We will have your website ready within 4 weeks.

free

0800 444 090 or email our team on

in fo@ .n fatweb.co

z

FREE

11 things you must know before choosing a website company!

OUR DEFINing FEATURES

One of our defining features is that our sites are extremely easy to manage so you can change your content or photos as often as you like. If you’re able to book an airline ticket online, you can change the content on our websites.

CHRISTCHURCH OFFICES 2 Ivan Jamieson Place, Christchurch Airport, Chch 8053 112 Buchan Street, Sydenham, Chch 8023

AUCKLAND OFFICE

Level 6, 10 Scotia Place, Auckland, 1010

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gary@fatweb.co.nz | 0800 444 090 |

www.fatweb.co.nz